Southern Illinoisan _Carbondale, IL_ 1/1/1997 - 31/12/2024
Found: 41Shown: 1-20 Page: 1/3
Detail: Low  Medium  High   Pages: 1  2  3  [Next >>]  Sort:Latest

1 US IL: PUB LTE: Thumbs Up To Cannabis DecriminalizationWed, 06 Jan 2016
Source:Southern Illinoisan (Carbondale, IL) Author:Linn, Dan Area:Illinois Lines:43 Added:01/07/2016

To the Editor:

I am glad that The Southern gave a "thumbs up" to the cannabis decriminalization bill being reintroduced in Springfield. How long until we end another failed prohibition completely? Keeping a plant illegal seems silly when there are plenty of other crimes that go unsolved every year. However it is easier for police to catch some college kids getting high than it is for them to solve a cold case murder or a rape.

The medical cannabis program has shown that there are investors and businesses willing to open up in parts of central and southern Illinois at a time when other businesses are shutting down or leaving the state. Colorado had to issue a tax refund to its citizens due to amount of taxes that were paid from the legal cannabis industry, both medical and recreational. Personally I would put Illinois farmers above Colorado farmers when it comes to growing cannabis, if only Illinois farmers had the chance. Those who were lucky enough to get a cultivation license to grow medical cannabis in Illinois needed large amounts financial capital and experience, something Illinois farmers just could not admit to when competing against the west coast gardeners. Illinois should legalize cannabis for all adults, not just those who are sick.

Dan Linn

Dan Linn is executive director, Illinois for the National Organization to Reform Marijuana Laws

[end]

2 US IL: Illinois To Hold Three Town Halls On Medical MarijuanaSun, 10 Aug 2014
Source:Southern Illinoisan (Carbondale, IL) Author:Johnson, Carla K. Area:Illinois Lines:53 Added:08/15/2014

CHICAGO -- As Illinois' new medical marijuana program gets underway, potential patients, growers and retailers have questions. State officials plan to hold three town hall meetings across Illinois to provide answers, particularly about the application process, which starts next month.

Multiple sclerosis patient Marla Levi of Buffalo Grove plans to apply for the required ID card so she can buy marijuana legally from a state-approved dispensary. She's found that the drug helps relieve the rigidity in her legs, she said. She wants to attend one of the meetings to get more information.

[continues 220 words]

3 US IL: Bereaved Mother Shares Dangers Of Drug UseSat, 09 Aug 2014
Source:Southern Illinoisan (Carbondale, IL) Author:Hottensen, Chris Area:Illinois Lines:90 Added:08/13/2014

MOUNT VERNON -- Chris Marler wasn't prepared for what she found Sept. 5, 2006, in her Marion County home.

She planned to have lunch with her youngest son that day, but when she came home both her sons were dead.

"My youngest son died at 7:30 in the morning, and he was gone," Marler said. "I'm on the phone with 911, and I go to the other son's bedroom, and he was foaming at the mouth. So I perform CPR, and then you go into shock."

[continues 549 words]

4 US IL: Heroin Crisis On The Horizon For RegionSat, 09 Aug 2014
Source:Southern Illinoisan (Carbondale, IL) Author:Hottensen, Chris Area:Illinois Lines:121 Added:08/11/2014

MOUNT VERNON -- An old drug is making a deadly comeback.

First synthesized in 1874 and a drug of choice in the 1970s, heroin use is once again increasing around the nation and law enforcement and drug treatment counselors claim it could reach epidemic proportions in Southern Illinois.

"It hasn't gotten here, but it's coming big time," Wendell Arms, Comprehensive Connections substance abuse therapist, said. "We've seen a 17 percent increase in our treatment agency -- just with heroin alone. It's coming. It's right around the corner, and if we don't get ready for it, we're going to get washed away with another addictive process."

[continues 643 words]

5 US IL: Column: Finally, An End To War On Drugs?Thu, 15 Aug 2013
Source:Southern Illinoisan (Carbondale, IL) Author:Pitts, Leonard Area:Illinois Lines:90 Added:08/17/2013

It's been a war on justice, an assault on equal protection under the law.

And a war on families, removing millions of fathers from millions of homes.

And a war on money, spilling it like water.

And a war on people of color, targeting them with drone strike efficiency.

We never call it any of those things, though all of them fit. No, we call it the War on Drugs. It is a 42-year, trillion dollar disaster that has done nothing - underscore that: absolutely nothing - to stem the inexhaustible supply of, and insatiable demand for, illegal narcotics. In the process, it has rendered this "land of the free" the biggest jailer on Earth.

[continues 525 words]

6 US IL: State Senate Approves Marijuana Pilot ProgramSat, 18 May 2013
Source:Southern Illinoisan (Carbondale, IL) Author:Hlavach, L. E. Area:Illinois Lines:125 Added:05/22/2013

SPRINGFIELD -- A proposal to legalize limited medical use of marijuana for certain chronically ill patients now is headed to Illi-nois Gov. Pat Quinn.

By a 35-21 vote, the Illinois Senate on Friday approved a four-year pilot project to legalize medicinal use of marijuana under a regulatory framework the sponsors called the "tightest, most controlled" in the nation.

Currently, 18 states and the District of Columbia permit some medical use of marijuana.

Under the Illinois measure, patients diagnosed with about 40 specific terminal illnesses or debilitating medical conditions, such as cancer, AIDS and multiple sclerosis, would be able to get a special ID card allowing them to buy medical marijuana from one of 60 state-licensed dispensaries, which in turn would buy the product from one of 22 state-licensed growers.

[continues 707 words]

7 US IL: PUB LTE: Legalize Organic MarijuanaThu, 20 Sep 2012
Source:Southern Illinoisan (Carbondale, IL) Author:Sharpe, Robert Area:Illinois Lines:44 Added:09/21/2012

To the Editor:

Regarding your Aug. 30 editorial, the use of so-called synthetic marijuana is an unintended side-effect of the war on natural marijuana. Consumers are turning to potentially toxic drugs made in China and sold as research chemicals before being repackaged as legal incense. Expanding the drug war will only add to the highest incarceration rate in the world. Chinese chemists will tweak formulas to stay one step ahead of the law and two steps ahead of the drug tests. New versions won't be safer. Misguided efforts to protect children from drugs are putting children at risk.

[continues 94 words]

8 US IL: Editorial: Synthetic Drugs Must Be BattledThu, 30 Aug 2012
Source:Southern Illinoisan (Carbondale, IL)          Area:Illinois Lines:83 Added:08/30/2012

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and her team have done the correct and innovative thing in using the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act to stop those who would sell synthetic drugs under the guise of bath salts and other misnomers.

As The Southern Illinoisan's Codell Rodriguez recently reported, the act engages exact manufacturer and content labeling rules to address the sale of these dangerous yet too-commonplace substances.

Retailers selling the synthetic drugs can now face a Class 2 felony that can come with a $125,000 fine for a first conviction and $250,000 for a second conviction.

[continues 421 words]

9 US IL: Drug Court A Small SuccessSun, 29 Jul 2012
Source:Southern Illinoisan (Carbondale, IL) Author:Norris, D. W. Area:Illinois Lines:53 Added:07/30/2012

MURPHYSBORO -- Sometimes it's the small successes.

Jackson County's drug court has been up and running for three months, and the program's lone participant is meeting all his requirements.

"So far, he is clean as a whistle, and not only has he tested clean and done all the things that are required through drug court and to probation office, he has become employed and has so far been very successful. It's a wonderful a thing," said Judge Charles Grace, the man who oversees the program.

[continues 237 words]

10 US IL: Officials Want Harsher Penalties For HuffersTue, 16 Feb 2010
Source:Southern Illinoisan (Carbondale, IL) Author:Riopell, Mike Area:Illinois Lines:49 Added:02/20/2010

SPRINGFIELD - Southern Illinois officials want to target people who show up in court over and over after being arrested for inhaling chemicals to get high.

Williamson County Assistant State's Attorney Ryan Hall said he sees the same handful of people being caught by police for what is known as "huffing" - a practice in which products such as paint are inhaled.

"It's a reoccurring problem with various individuals," Hall said. "They're addicts."

Under current state law, a judge can send an offender for jail for 30 days. That time doesn't typically include any treatment, and it's not long enough for someone to kick the addiction, Hall said.

[continues 134 words]

11 US IL: PUB LTE: Don't Criticize AllTue, 16 Feb 2010
Source:Southern Illinoisan (Carbondale, IL) Author:Flanagan, Colleen C. Area:Illinois Lines:37 Added:02/20/2010

The criticism leveled at the Illinois Department of Corrections' early release of prisoners threatens to tarnish the work at Illinois' Sheridan and Southwestern Illinois Correctional Centers, which are national models of substance abuse treatment and rehabilitation.

These programs reduce recidivism and increase recovery from addictions. Key to their success is that supervision and rehabilitation continue after release from prison. Parolees go through step-down housing, community based treatment, employment training, job placement services, anger management and parole supervision.

A formal evaluation of the Sheridan program demonstrated a 21 percent lower risk of re-arrest for a new crime than a comparison group of prisoners and a 44 percent lower risk of returning to prison than other ex-inmates.

In the clamor of these public policy debates, let's be careful not to undermine proven programs that treat addiction and protect public safety.

Colleen C. Flanagan

TASC Area Administrator

Murphysboro

[end]

12 US IL: PUB LTE: Legalized Marijuana May Be on the WaySat, 24 Oct 2009
Source:Southern Illinoisan (Carbondale, IL) Author:Hollmann, Ray Area:Illinois Lines:38 Added:10/24/2009

In 1939, when I was in fourth grade, I would bring a half-pint whiskey bottle to school filled with chocolate milk to have with my lunch. My teacher, a ministerial student in our parochial school, showed me the liquor tax tag and told me it was against the law to reuse the bottle. My dad reassured me that the teacher was wrong because there was no alcohol in the bottle.

However, seven years earlier, even having whiskey in that bottle was illegal. But in 1933, the prohibition experiment ended and alcohol was decriminalized. And now it seems that it may be time to decriminalized marijuana.

[continues 94 words]

13 US IL: Sheriff Busted On Pot ChargesTue, 19 May 2009
Source:Southern Illinoisan (Carbondale, IL) Author:Malkovich, Becky Area:Illinois Lines:83 Added:05/19/2009

BENTON - Federal drug trafficking and weapons charges led to the Monday arrest of veteran Gallatin County Sheriff Raymond M. Martin, who is accused in a criminal complaint of dealing marijuana while on duty and in uniform.

Martin, sheriff since 1990, is charged with three counts of distribution of marijuana and two counts of carrying a firearm during and in relation to drug trafficking, according to the complaint filed in federal court in Benton.

The distribution charges allege Martin, 46, distributed a total of more than 1,000 grams of marijuana between April 27 and May 11, while the weapons charges allege he carried a stainless steel revolver during the drug sales.

[continues 438 words]

14 US IL: Editorial: Drug Task Forces Must Be Fully FundedWed, 12 Mar 2008
Source:Southern Illinoisan (Carbondale, IL)          Area:Illinois Lines:64 Added:03/12/2008

Law enforcement efforts in Southern Illinois over the last few years have made significant progress in the fight against methamphetamine and other illegal drug use and trafficking.

A report released last summer by Southern Illinois University tracked law enforcement efforts against what had been described as a meth epidemic in the region. Here are some of the findings:

l The number of meth labs put out of business by law enforcement from 1997 to 2005 increased by 19,000 percent.

l Grams of meth seized by police from 1994 to 2003 in Franklin, Jackson, Saline and Williamson counties increased by about 16,690 percent.

[continues 295 words]

15 US IL: Murphysboro Youths Say No To Drug CultureSat, 08 Mar 2008
Source:Southern Illinoisan (Carbondale, IL) Author:Fitzgerald, Scott Area:Illinois Lines:76 Added:03/09/2008

MURPHYSBORO - A community effort here that has shown success to win back city neighborhoods from drugs and violence is making a name for itself with some important people.

U.S. Attorney Courtney Cox and Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Robertson were among the approximate 100 attendees Saturday at the second annual Stamping Out Meth And All Drugs (S.O.M.A.A.D.) youth rally at Murphysboro Middle School.

Jackson County Sheriff Bob Burns and Murphysboro Deputy Police Chief Tim Legere attended the rally also along with Mayor Ron Williams.

[continues 423 words]

16 US IL: PUB LTE: Start Using Common SenseWed, 26 Dec 2007
Source:Southern Illinoisan (Carbondale, IL) Author:Muse, Kirk Area:Illinois Lines:39 Added:12/27/2007

To the Editor:

Common sense tells us that the DARE program should deter our youth from using illegal drugs. But it doesn't. DARE graduates are more likely to use illegal drugs, not less.

Common sense tells us that the Earth is the center of the universe and our solar system. But it's not.

Common sense tells us that prohibiting a product should substantially reduce the use of the product that's prohibited. Actually, prohibition tends to substantially increase the desire for the product that's prohibited.

[continues 88 words]

17 US IL: DARE Program Still Active in RegionSun, 09 Dec 2007
Source:Southern Illinoisan (Carbondale, IL) Author:Fasol, Tara Area:Illinois Lines:87 Added:12/09/2007

MOUNT VERNON - The Drug Abuse Resistance Education program - known for the slogan "Just Say No" -is a life lesson, according to officer Ray Gilbert with the Mount Vernon Police Department.

"DARE is alive," he said. "DARE is very much alive in Mount Vernon."

Gilbert serves as the school resource officer and the DARE officer. He said although some communities are no longer participating in the national program, Mount Vernon considers it an important part of the ongoing war against drugs.

"The City of Mount Vernon and especially the police department and Chief (Chris) Mendenall think the DARE program is very important to the city," he said. "I took it over two years ago from a guy that retired. They have been doing it since the '90s."

[continues 450 words]

18 US IL: Documentary To Educate About Medical MarijuanaFri, 09 Nov 2007
Source:Southern Illinoisan (Carbondale, IL) Author:Rodriguez, Codell Area:Illinois Lines:57 Added:11/10/2007

CARBONDALE - If there's one thing Jed Riffe can't stand, it's the media's handling of the subject of medicinal marijuana.

Riffe said the subject he takes very seriously is treated as tongue-in-cheek with many news outlets. Because he didn't see anyone else taking it seriously, Riffe made a documentary on the subject.

"Waiting to Inhale" will screen at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Southern Illinois University Carbondale Student Center.

The film follows patients who use marijuana to help with their illness and parents who have lost their children to addiction. Riffe said it was important to show both sides of the argument because it makes a better film and richer learning experience.

[continues 207 words]

19 US IL: Edu: Davis Talks About Higher Education and EqualitySun, 28 Oct 2007
Source:Southern Illinoisan (Carbondale, IL) Author:Fasol, Tara Area:Illinois Lines:56 Added:10/29/2007

CARBONDALE - Higher education was among several topics U.S. Rep. Danny Davis touched on while visiting with the public before the banquet.

Davis was the keynote speaker at the dinner, but took time earlier to speak on several topics, including his continued push for equality in education.

"We've been having some fun in higher education," he said. "There are thousands of kids who need financial aid."

Davis said restrictions on federal financial aid funding due to criminal drug charges create obstacles for students in such a way that might deter them from an education.

[continues 205 words]

20 US IL: Column: Getting Back To JuneauSat, 07 Apr 2007
Source:Southern Illinoisan (Carbondale, IL) Author:Kilpatrick, James Area:Illinois Lines:92 Added:04/10/2007

Bad cases, they say, make bad law. You will not find many cases at the Supreme Court as bad in every way as the pending case of Morse v. Frederick. It was argued two weeks ago and will be decided before the court's term ends in June. The omens are not auspicious.

The Morse in this case is Deborah Morse, principal of the public high school in Juneau, Alaska. The Frederick is Joseph Frederick. At the time of this brouhaha he was an 18-year-old senior student. The case began on Jan. 24, 2002, when the famed Olympic torch was being relayed from Athens to Salt Lake City, there to ignite the Winter Olympic Games. The small parade would pass by the school in Juneau on its way.

[continues 629 words]


Detail: Low  Medium  High   Pages: 1  2  3  [Next >>]  

Email Address
Check All Check all     Uncheck All Uncheck all

Drugnews Advanced Search
Body Substring
Body
Title
Source
Author
Area     Hide Snipped
Date Range  and 
      
Page Hits/Page
Detail Sort

Quick Links
SectionsHot TopicsAreasIndices

HomeBulletin BoardChat RoomsDrug LinksDrug News
Mailing ListsMedia EmailMedia LinksLettersSearch